A growing number of state governments are seeking help from charities and other outside organizations to meet federal requirements on welfare spending, The Huffington Post and The Washington Examiner write.

Thirteen states turned to third parties last year to help maintain their spending commitments under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, compared to three states in 2007, according to the Government Accountability Office report. Seventeen states said they will need to tap nonprofit groups for welfare funds in the future.

The United Way, YMCA, and Shriner’s Hospital for Children are the groups from which financially strapped states have sought help in meeting their collective $15-billion TANF commitment amid rising demand for government assistance.